Fungal pathogens, or disease spores, can take only a matter of hours to infect leaves. They are transferred from infected plants via water splashes but can live on leaf litter and dead plants for many weeks or months (see Box Blight Prevention).

Box Blight Treatment

There are a number of fungicides that have been trialled by growers in mainland Europe, with some success, in protecting against initial infection and some that attack the infection - but not all are approved for use on Amenity vegetation (Buxus).

Facts about Box Blight

Once a leaf or branch has died it cannot be brought back to life.

Signum is approved through an EAMU (Extension of Authorisation for Minor Uses).

How to Prevent Box Blight

Prevention can be better than cure, but unfortunately its no guarantee. Follow the below advice for the best chance at box blight control.

Collect fallen leaves from all plant species in the vicinity regularly and remove dead plants – then burn... DO NOT compost.

Water during dry weather using drip tubes rather than spraying the foliage. Alternatively, you could soak the soil once a week rather than sprinkling multiple times a week.

Disinfect cutting equipment after every cut; secateurs, shears and hedgetrimmers– use Propellar or Jet 5 disinfectant.

A strong plant will resist the disease better in the first place. Fertilise using small amounts of fish, blood & bone or ideally a slow release fertiliser to avoid provoking a sudden flush of leggy growth that is weaker and more susceptible to spore infection.

Some varieties of Buxus seem to withstand infection better than others. Unfortunately, the most popular variety, Buxus sempervirens 'Suffruticosa', seems to be the most susceptible to disease.

Newly purchased plants (Buxus or otherwise) should never be planted straight away near box to reduce the importation of infection. Keep new plants in ‘quarantine’ for a short period to observe any signs of disease developing.